


Softly Floating

by QuarkInShiningArmour



Series: Gammahammer one shots [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, IN SPACE!, M/M, ThorBruce Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 22:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21381361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuarkInShiningArmour/pseuds/QuarkInShiningArmour
Summary: Thor takes Bruce for a tour of a living nebula, and finds himself becoming more emotional than he'd anticipated.For Thorbruce week, day one: Space // Alone
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Thor, Bruce Banner/Thor
Series: Gammahammer one shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1424254
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28
Collections: Thorbruce Week 2019





	Softly Floating

**Author's Note:**

> Soft.. Soft boys

Dots of light fluttered and flowed in every direction, bright against the black emptiness of the vacuum of space. Thor couldn’t really feel much of anything, floating, with no force from gravity, no pressure of the ground pushing on his feet. He could tell his emotions were bubbling high, beneath the surface, but he couldn’t exactly nail down how he felt.

He should feel happy. Bruce had been giving him doe-eyed looks whenever Thor had told him about the strange and wonderful things he’d encountered travelling in space, and so Thor had taken him to see one of them. 

The Living Nebula of Aurvandil was a wonder of both life and physics, and so Thor had thought it would make a suitable destination for a man with such a wide-ranging knowledge of science as Bruce. The nebula’s appearance was much like any other; a beautiful glowing cloud of dust, sweeping into spirals as the gravity pulled the specks together to form a larger structure. But in this case, the dust wasn’t simply dust. It was _alive_. 

Microbes floated all around, the bioluminescence making them seem to spark. Through the haze of living cinders, Thor could see Bruce, his wide eyes obscured a little behind the reflection of the surrounding nebula in the dome of his space suit helmet. _Seems I was right to bring him here,_ Thor reflected, glad of Bruce’s enthusiasm.

Reaching out, Thor softly clasped Bruce’s arm through the suit. 

“How do you like it? Does it live up to expectations?”

Bruce wiggled his head slightly as he snapped out of his revelry.

“Yeah,” he said softly, sounding dazed. “It’s incredible. How did they evolve? How do they generate enough energy to spark like that?”

Thor smiled. He had hoped to evoke this kind of a reaction. Bruce’s eyes were brighter than the surrounding cloud as Thor did his best to answer all of his questions. It was a welcome feeling to Thor; to feel capable, know that he was he was bringing joy and excitement to Bruce. It meant, for a moment, he didn’t have to dwell on himself, on processing his feelings.

“Are they a form of complex life? Or are they unicellular?” Bruce fired his umpteenth question, his curiosity not at all diminished. 

“The answer isn’t a simple one,” Thor contemplated. “They start as simple organisms, as spores, floating in the cosmic wind. Then the gravity pulls them together, making them swirl and come together.” His hand traced the flow of a spiral they could see some way ahead. “They join together, then. Forming one distinct organism.” 

He grew quiet as he spoke.

There was something familiar about this, something that was making his eyes well up, forcing the emotion out without his permission.

Thor watched the centre of the spiral where the living dust came together to become one. Except, in his mind’s eye, it wasn’t just a ball of glowing dust. It was his mother. His father, too, came to mind; all the fallen Asgardian soldiers he had ever attended the funeral of, all the bodies burnt to fiery dust.

His breath caught in his throat. 

Frigga had been so beautiful as she burnt and flowed into the sky. From a single body, glowing and whirling outwards, just like this nebula, but in reverse. _ She’s scattered out here, somewhere. Her dust could be anywhere in the galaxy by now. All because Loki and I heeded our father’s violence before being wise, like her._

A gloved hand gently clasped over Thor’s own. He hadn’t realised he’d raised it, reaching out into the dust, until Bruce had taken it in his.

“Thor.” Bruce spoke his name gently, easing him back out of his memories and regrets. “Are you okay?” 

It was too difficult to form words. The tears floating up and down his eyes were enough for Bruce to get his answer.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want, if you’re not ready.” He rotated himself to face Thor, offering his arms out for comfort. 

Thor dived it, his occasional sobs crackling quietly through the comms. 

The pressure of Bruce’s suit against his anchored him. For some time, Thor couldn’t tell how long, they just stayed like that, not saying a word, just holding each other.

“I –“ Thor forced out. “I’m sorry –“

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Bruce interjected softly.

Thor shook his head.

“I’m sorry I took you all the way out here, into space, just to cry on your shoulder.”

“Hey, that’s okay, don’t worry.” Bruce’s hand was running gently up and down his back now, and Thor found the rhythm of it soothing. “I get to hug a god while floating in space.” Thor could see his honest smile through the glass domes of their suits. “That’s always been one for the bucket list.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> I'm not gonna do any of these fics on time for the week, but hey! i'm getting them out and that's what matters.
> 
> I adore comments and kudos, I love y'all.


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